Kees Vos
Global Transfer Architect

Netherlands

€520mm

Key Facts

Nationality/residence: Dutch – based between Amsterdam (Netherlands) and London (UK)
Date of birth: Not publicly disclosed
FIFA Agent Licence: FIFA-licensed football agent (licence ID not publicly disclosed; registered owner at SEG – Sports Entertainment Group)
Other registrations: Operates via SEG International B.V., registered in the Netherlands – KvK 34139303; VAT NL 809288916B01
Primary agency / company: SEG – Sports Entertainment Group (Football division co-founder and owner)
Job Title: Football Intermediary / Player Agent / Founder
Client capacity: Large, multi-agent roster within SEG – Players: ≈390–400 clients across SEG Football – Total market value: ≈€520mm
Languages: Dutch, English (operates within SEG’s multilingual network in English, Dutch, Spanish, Italian)
Base Locations: Amsterdam–Duivendrecht (NL); London (UK); works through SEG hubs in Barcelona, Milan and Girona
Specialisms: Elite European players and coaches; cross-border transfers between Eredivisie, Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga; high-value forwards and defenders; long-term career planning for Dutch and Scandinavian talent
Email: info@seginternational.com (SEG central contact)
Phone / WhatsApp: +31 (0) 20 589 40 00 (SEG office – Amsterdam–Duivendrecht)
Website / Socials:
• Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keesvosseg
• Personal X: https://x.com/KeesVosSEG
• Personal Facebook: Not publicly verified
• Personal LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kees-vos
• SEG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/segfootball
• SEG X: https://x.com/SEG_Football
• SEG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SEGfootball
• SEG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entertainment-group-international

About Kees Vos

Kees Vos is the founder and owner of Sports Entertainment Group (SEG), one of Europe’s biggest multi-sport agencies, which he launched in 2000 together with childhood friend Alex Kroes after an earlier career building recruitment companies. Inspired by the film “Jerry Maguire” and his own background in business economics, he moved from traditional recruitment into talent management, starting SEG from scratch without clients but with the ambition to become a major global player in sport. In 2007, he accelerated SEG’s growth by merging with the football agency of Kees Ploegsma Sr. and Jr., while also adding new divisions in cycling, esports, artists and performance, turning SEG into a multi-discipline group.

Over two decades, Vos has overseen more than 2,500 transfers and contract extensions across football through a network of 180+ agents in over 40 countries, with SEG now representing hundreds of players and coaches and operating from hubs in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Milan and Girona. High-profile clients associated with SEG during his ownership include Robin van Persie, Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, Marten de Roon and many of today’s elite talents, as well as top coaches such as Erik ten Hag. Forbes has ranked SEG among the world’s 20 most valuable sports agencies, underlining Vos’s status as one of the sport’s most influential dealmakers.

Vos is known for handling complex, high-stakes deals – including Robin van Persie’s move from Arsenal to Manchester United, Cody Gakpo’s transfer from PSV to Liverpool and Rasmus Højlund’s big-money move to Manchester United – while also arranging major coaching appointments such as Ten Hag’s switch to Bayer Leverkusen and Robin van Persie’s rise into management. His career has also faced scrutiny, most notably the highly publicised Stefan de Vrij case, in which Dutch investigative journalists examined SEG’s role and a dispute over commissions, a case Vos and SEG strongly contest. Between praise for his global reach and criticism of aspects of the agent industry, Vos has become a central figure in discussions about transparency, dual representation and the future of football intermediaries.

Highlights:
• Long-term architect of SEG’s multi-division talent empire (Football, Cycling, Esports, Artists, Performance) with 2,500+ deals completed
• Specialist in high-value transfers and cross-border club-to-club mediations in the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Eredivisie
• Known for a business-driven, highly prepared negotiation style and for stepping in personally on “mega-transfer” level deals
• Runs a wide agent and club network from SEG hubs in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Milan and Girona
• Positioned at the centre of debate on agent regulation and transparency after high-profile legal cases and investigative reporting

Career Snapshot

Origin story:
Vos studied Business Economics at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and initially co-founded recruitment company MT&V with a university friend, gaining experience in sourcing and placing talent in the corporate world. In 2000, combining that recruitment know-how with his lifelong passion for football, he founded SEG as a talent management agency, explicitly inspired by the player-first ethos portrayed in “Jerry Maguire”.

Milestones (selected):
• 2000 – Founds SEG with Alex Kroes, entering the football agency market with no existing player portfolio
• 2007 – Merges SEG with the Ploegsma football agency, adding marquee Dutch football know-how and launching SEG Cycling
• 2012 – Involved at the top level of Robin van Persie’s transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United for a reported ~£24m, one of the decisive Premier League title-defining transfers of the era
• 2018 – Oversees SEG’s involvement in Stefan de Vrij’s free transfer from Lazio to Inter on a five-year deal, a move later scrutinised in court and media over commission structures
• 2019 – SEG brokers Thomas Vermaelen’s free move from Barcelona to Vissel Kobe on a two-and-a-half-year contract
• 2020 – Forbes names SEG among the 20 most valuable sports agencies worldwide
• 2022–2023 – Helps deliver Cody Gakpo’s move from PSV to Liverpool and Rasmus Højlund’s move from Atalanta to Manchester United, both major headline transfers involving significant fees and long-term contracts
• 2023–2025 – Supports high-profile coaching and player moves such as Erik ten Hag to Bayer Leverkusen, Robin van Persie’s transition into full-time coaching and Mark Flekken’s move from Brentford to Bayer Leverkusen

Network strengths:
• Deep roots in Dutch football (Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, KNVB ecosystem) and a strong footprint in England, Spain, Italy and Germany through SEG’s agent network and club relationships
• Long-standing ties with top coaches (Erik ten Hag) and elite attackers and defenders (Robin van Persie, Memphis Depay, Daley Blind, Rasmus Højlund, Cody Gakpo)
• Ability to mediate directly with big clubs on both the “player side” and “club side”, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Inter, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Leeds United, Wolves and others

Support Team / Partners

• Kees Ploegsma Jr. – Partner and top agent at SEG, often co-leading major football deals, especially involving Dutch talents and top-five-league clubs
• Jeroen Hoogewerf – Co-owner and senior dealmaker at SEG’s football division, involved in high-value transfers alongside Vos
• SEG Legal & Tax team – In-house legal and financial specialists handling contract drafting, regulatory matters and complex commission/rights structures
• SEG Performance Lab – Internal performance and analytics unit supporting player development, medical and performance data analysis
• External club-side and local partner agents – Franchise-style network of FIFA-licensed agents across 40+ countries, facilitating scouting and local negotiations while Vos steps in on major deals

Client Roster

(Selection – current; SEG-wide clients where Vos is senior dealmaker/owner)

Top players and talents (current):

• Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) – Forward / winger – Netherlands – 07.05.1999
• Rasmus Højlund (Napoli, on loan from Manchester United) – Centre-forward – Denmark – 04.02.2003
• Daley Blind (Girona) – Centre-back / left-back / defensive midfielder – Netherlands – 09.03.1990
• Sergio Gómez (Real Sociedad) – Left wing-back / attacking midfielder – Spain – 04.09.2000
• Mark Flekken (Bayer Leverkusen) – Goalkeeper – Netherlands – 13.06.1993
• Joachim Andersen (Fulham) – Centre-back – Denmark – 31.05.1996
• Ladislav Krejčí (Wolverhampton Wanderers, on loan from Girona) – Centre-back / left-back – Czech Republic – 20.04.1999
• Jaka Bijol (Leeds United) – Centre-back – Slovenia – 05.02.1999
• Tyler Morton (Lyon) – Defensive midfielder – England – 31.10.2002
• Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) – Midfielder – England – 20.05.2005

Coaches/Staff represented

• Erik ten Hag (Bayer Leverkusen) – Head Coach
• Robin van Persie (Feyenoord) – Head Coach
• Matthias Jaissle (Al-Ahli) – Head Coach

Notable former clients

• Stefan de Vrij – Left SEG after the Inter move; central figure in a high-profile commission dispute
• Thomas Vermaelen – Former Barcelona and Belgium defender whose move to Vissel Kobe was arranged while SEG represented him
• Robin Gosens – German international wing-back listed as a high-profile departure
• Rick Karsdorp – Dutch right-back and one of several notable players to have left SEG in recent years
• Marco Bizot – Dutch goalkeeper named among the agency’s past high-profile departures

Notable Deals Led by Kees Vos

(Agency-level, with Vos as owner/senior dealmaker)

• 2012 – Robin van Persie: Arsenal → Manchester United, reported fee around £24m, four-year contract; a title-deciding move that delivered United’s 20th league title
• 2015 – Robin van Persie: Manchester United → Fenerbahçe, three-year contract, fee reported around £3.8m; politically sensitive exit from Old Trafford
• 2018 – Stefan de Vrij: Lazio → Inter, free transfer, five-year contract; Inter paid a significant commission to SEG, later at the heart of legal proceedings and public debate
• 2019 – Thomas Vermaelen: Barcelona → Vissel Kobe, free transfer with a reported two-and-a-half-year deal for the Belgian international defender
• 2022 – Cody Gakpo: PSV → Liverpool, reported fee ~£35–37m, five-and-a-half-year contract
• 2023 – Rasmus Højlund: Atalanta → Manchester United, initial fee around €75m including add-ons, long-term contract
• 2023 – Sofyan Amrabat: Fiorentina → Manchester United, season-long loan with purchase option
• 2024 – Sergio Gómez: Manchester City → Real Sociedad, permanent transfer on a long-term deal
• 2025 – Mark Flekken: Brentford → Bayer Leverkusen, three-year contract
• 2025 – Erik ten Hag to Bayer Leverkusen (Head Coach), contract reportedly until 2027

Track Record (last 3 seasons)

(Approximate, SEG Football – agency-wide where Vos is owner; figures indicative rather than exhaustive)

• Total transfers completed: Estimated 250+ transfers and contract extensions across global football since 2023
• Deals ≥ €10m: Multiple, including Højlund (Atalanta → Manchester United), Gakpo (PSV → Liverpool), Bijol (Udinese → Leeds United) and others
• Clients in top-5 leagues: Dozens of players active in the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 plus national-team coaches
• National team clients: Regular representation of internationals from the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Slovenia, Czech Republic and others
• Renewal/extension deals: Numerous contract renewals at club and national-team level (not centrally published but reflected in SEG’s long-term relationships and deal count)
• Aggregate client market value (SEG Football): ≈€520m+ in current player market value

Compliance & Accreditation

SEG, led by Vos, operates within the FIFA Football Agent Regulations and relevant national FA rules, with the group employing FIFA-licensed agents across the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and other territories.

At the same time, the Stefan de Vrij case highlighted tensions around dual representation and transparency of commissions. Investigative reporting and legal proceedings scrutinised SEG’s role, while Vos and the agency publicly rejected allegations of wrongdoing and defended their commission structures as being in line with market standards. The episode has made Vos one of the most closely watched agents when it comes to compliance and evolving FIFA and national-FA regulation. According to NL Times, The Amsterdam Court of Appeals ordered SEG to pay De Vrij over €5M in damages.

Testimonials

• Robin van Persie has publicly described SEG and Vos as key figures in his journey from young talent to world-class forward, calling himself a very satisfied client of the agency.

• In SEG’s communications around Van Persie’s transition into management, he thanks the agency for guiding his career on and off the pitch – a recurring theme in SEG client stories.

• BBC Business Daily and other outlets have introduced Vos as one of the world’s most influential football agents when discussing the modern transfer market and the power of agencies like SEG.

• In SEG press releases, partner agents and club officials highlight the group’s international network and “knowledgeable, efficient back office”, underlining Vos’s positioning as a strategic, rather than purely transactional, agent.

Press, Awards & Recognition

• Forbes listing – In 2020, Forbes included SEG among the 20 most valuable sports agencies globally, underlining the commercial success of the group under Vos’s ownership.
• Investigative features – Long-form investigative pieces have portrayed SEG and Vos as central figures in Europe’s agent landscape while critically examining their business model and specific transfer cases.
• Premier League & big-club coverage – British and international media have run special reports on Vos’s influence at Manchester United, particularly around the recruitment of Rasmus Højlund, Sofyan Amrabat and the relationship with Erik ten Hag.
• Conference / speaker recognition – Vos has featured as a speaker at events such as Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), where he shares insights on talent management, entrepreneurship and building SEG from a start-up into a global agency.
• Industry perception – Specialist platforms and directories consistently list SEG under Vos among the leading global football agencies, reflecting strong recognition within the professional ecosystem.